mgpcpastor's blog

Gus Holla was the Director of one of Mount Gambier’s Funeral Homes.
He died of a heart attack earlier this week while on holidays, aged just 60.
Gus’ vocation brought him into a working relationship with the pastors of this town.
His love for Jesus, personal warmth and heart to encourage people brought him into our affections.
I’d undertaken to provide a piece for our local paper The Border Watch this week.
So I wrote about Gus.
This should be in print today.
I’d like to acknowledge the skills of Border Watch editor Jason Wallace who made a few subtle alterations which improved the expression of this article.

Gus Holla: a son of encouragement.
I, along with the other local church ministers, was saddened to hear of the death of Rosedale Funerals director Gus Holla.
Gus was greatly appreciated.
Many of you in the community have had opportunity to have received his warm and reassuring service during the loss of your loved ones.
Some of you have known him for much longer and on a more personal basis than I did.
I appreciated his professionalism and attention to detail, his thoughtfulness and flexibility.
Once when I’d neglected to bring a copy of a letter that was to be read during a funeral he simply told me to go and get it, and he’d explain the delay in starting to the family. He was a calming presence for us all.
He was always supportive of our work as clergy, willingly accommodating the different ways in which we conduct our Services, along with the variations that were included to meet the needs of particular families.
It was always satisfying and instructive to watch him interact with families during their time of deepest sadness.
He’d continue to keep track of how people were going afterwards as well.
I’m generally in awe of funeral directors and how they work in such consistently highly charged emotional situations, helping people to make decisions that they often feel in no shape to be making.
While we’re well served in this district in that regard, Gus was a credit to his vocation.
He told me once that his skills were largely developed on the job and through his own sense of what was the best manner of doing the work.
Living in a country town, heading out shopping means you’re going to run into different folk and spend time interacting with them.
Running into Gus was always a pleasure.
To see him striding purposefully down Commercial or along Elizabeth Street, you’d hope that he’d see you because it always meant a firm handshake, a warm smile, and, as he listened to the response to his enquiry about how you (and in my case, my ministry) were going, consistent eye contact which showed complete attention.
The firm grip he had on your hand seemed to reflect a firm grip on life.
The Bible tells us of a man named Joseph who the early church gave another name ‘Barnabas’.
Barnabas means ‘son of encouragement’.
It is not just easy to think of Gus Holla as Barnabas, it is actually impossible not to.
Regardless of how I felt, I always felt better for encountering Gus.
The good news of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ was something which Gus appreciated.
He’d often express thanks for its inclusion during a funeral.
It was that good news that made Gus the man he was.
It’s always vital to remember that it was not his caring, encouraging and helping nature which made Gus a Christian, it was being a Christian that generated these qualities in Gus.
The pastors of Mount Gambier offer our condolences to Robyn and the family, along with Bec and Rosedale Funerals and to everyone else who is affected by Gus’ death.